Egyptian regime trial postponed

CAIRO, Aug. 4 (UPI) -- The murder trial for former Egyptian Interior Minister Habib el-Adly was postponed to Aug. 14 to give lawyers time to review evidence, the court said.

Adly appeared in court Wednesday alongside former Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak, Mubarak's two sons and other members of the former regime. They stand accused of playing a role in the deaths of unarmed civilian protesters during the revolution early this year.

Adly was already sentenced to jail on earlier corruption charges. The country's vice president, Omar Suleiman, testified earlier this year that the interior minister ordered snipers positioned at key government locations.

Adly's lawyers had said he was getting bad information from his deputies. A court ruled Thursday the trial postponed to Aug. 14 so his lawyers could review official police records and other evidence, state-run news agency MENA reports.

Mubarak was a key U.S. alley in the region before the so-called Arab Spring spilled over to the streets of Cairo in January. Mark Toner, a spokesman for the U.S. State Department, sidestepped reporter's questioning about U.S. reaction to the Mubarak trail during his regular press briefing.

"I just would say that we believe that Egyptian authorities are able to carry out a free and -- or a fair trial in this case, and it's really ultimately up to them to do so," he said.

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